New Years in CR - please help with planing itinerary!
 

My boyfriend and I are planning a new year's trip - looking for some adventure, some romance! We would like to leave NYC on Thursday 12/30 and spend 10 days. To avoid too packing-unpacking too much, I figure we would like to stick just two or three locations (like MA, Arenal). I'm really into the zipline trips, we both love hiking, and my boyfriend loves the beach and wants to try surfing. Can someone recommend a good itinerary....and is it too late to start planning a trip for this time of year?? Where's the best place to spend New Years Eve - fun latin dancing is what we're into.

Thanks so much
amy

Your most immediate concern is to book a room for your first 2-3 nights. We booked about this time last year at Arenal Paraiso for a couple of days between Christmas and New Year's. Both holidays keep the hotels full. After the 1st of the year, the crunch will probably be over, but still you will be in the high season and should book early.

Arenal is a great starting place. It's about 2.5 or 3 hours from the airport. For surfing, Tamarindo is a good location, and Manuel Antonio is a beautiful area with lots of available activities, though not surfing.

I would suggest 2 nights at Arenal, 3-4 nights Tamarindo, and 3-4 nights MA. If your boyfriend is really into surfing, go for 4 nights Tamarindo and 3 nights Manuel Antonio. There are other surfing places as well, such as MalPais, but Tamarindo is more convenient to get to and your transfer time from Arenal-Tamarindo-MA would be less.

You could also do this trip in reverse. You will find more opportunities to celebrate NY Eve with Latin dancing in either Tamarindo or Manuel Antonio than Arenal. You are not too late to begin planning, but you do need to get right on it! Enjoy!

amynuzz,
Your requirements sound identicle to ours! My husband and I are off to CR for 11 days leaving Dec. 25. We both wanted to try surfing as well. We've booked our flight through hotwire and a resort package (Allegro Papagayo) for 5 nts. all-inclusive at the end of our stay. We figured it was close enough to Liberia and a couple national parks so we could do some day trips from there (for hiking mostly). We'll likely stay a nt at Arenal or Monteverde and then 3 nts in Tamarindo (which I've heard is a good place to try surfing...many beaches in the area) and finish off at the resort. gate1travel.com has some great deals (especially from NY). We booked the land package resort with them.

I've heard you really need to book hotels now since it's a very, very busy time of year.

Have fun!!

I'll make a bet that Tamarindo will be already booked that time of year! We were there Fri. 8/20, their LOW season and most everyplace was booked solid, including Capitan Suizo, Sueno Del Mar, Cala Luna, Ed Jardin del Eden and Tamarindo Daria!
Start looking NOW!

Amazing how things change so quickly based on frequent flier availability. So this is no longer a new year's trip (it's ok we'll survive) and the dates are now 1/2 till 1/11. Easier to find availability.

After a bit of homework, my questions are now a bit more specific: 1) Is there a wonderful, relaxing, romantic hotel in Tamarindo besides Sueno del Mar?

2) I've got an itineray in the works, but am not sure what to do for our third location. Looking for a good post-beach location with activities, wildlife, green, creative things...and not too difficult of a transfer to get there from Tamarindo or to go to San Jose:

Jan 2: NYC-SJO (early), transfer to Arenal.
Jan 3: Arenal
Jan 4: Arenal-Tamarindo
Jan 5: Tamarindo
Jan 6: Tamarindo
Jan 7: Tamarindo-??
Jan 8: ??
Jan 9: ??
Jan 10: ??-San Jose
Jan 11: SJO-NYC

I really want to do a great zipline tour and ride some horses...relax in a laid back area that is maybe even a bit artsy and not overrun with tourists. What location would be good to add to this itinerary to make sure I can accomplish those things??

Thanks all - I have SO enjoyed reading all the trip reports and other postings. It's been really helpful in planning our trip!

amynuzz - i am jealous - i have been wanting to go back to CR since our 1st trip this past July! you will have a great time! we stayed at el jardin del eden in tamarindo & were very pleased. every room was different, so you may want to ask to see your room before accepting it. ours varied greatly between ours & our friends room - and we were paying the same $. as for the other nights, i'd recommend you look into either peace lodge (www.waterfallgardens.com) or finca que ama (www.costaricafinca.com). I have not stayed at the 2nd place yet, but it receives wonderful reviews & the owner is very personable! Peace Lodge was wonderful - very small, quiet, relaxing, romantic & within a 45 minute drive to a wonderful company that offers a great zip line tour, rafting, etc. (hacienda pozo azul which also has a website). You might want to ride horses at Arenal. It was actually by far the scariest thing I did my whole trip - more so than the canopy, etc! I am not sure how well the horses are cared for as they were surely putting up with a lot of slipping & falling the day we went - through the mud & wet rocks. So, I am not sure if it is best for them, but those who rode at Hacienda Pozo Azul said the riding in Arenal was far better. You might want to spend an extra night in Tamarindo & then move on to one of these hotels. Just some ideas!

I agree with Sclubb. For your last few days, choose either:

1. La Finca Que Ama--about 3 hours from Tamarindo and 1.5 from the airport. Great hotel off the beaten path. . .wonderful food, hosts and room amenities. Close to Turubari Park (with the new Superman zipline).

OR

2. Return to the Central Valley and you can easily spend a couple of days in the area north of San Jose, but east and south of Arenal. Towns to visit--Sarchi, Grecia, Zarcero, all unique. Also close to Poas Volcano, Doka Coffee Plantation, Rio Sarapiqui, La Paz Waterfall Gardens (where Peace Lodge is located).

Thanks so much folks - I have read so many rave reviews on this website about both of those places that I think it would be a crime not to try one - the question is which!!

As for the Tamarindo area - have you heard of HOtel Las Tortugas or Hotel Villa Baula? They both are 2 miles north of Tamarindo and claim to be more on the ecotoursim side and far less overcrowded. Should we be worried about crowds in Tamarindo? Would a place like this be a better bet do you think?